A/N: Chapter beta read by Forty-Two Dreams. All remaining mistakes are mine.
EVERY WORD
"What do you mean, I am to remain at Hogwarts under all circumstances?" Wilson contested, obviously enraged.
It was the last day of Christmas holidays, and Wilson was now fully healed - even though she still looked quite tired. Snape, Dumbledore, McGonagall, Lupin and Wilson were all in the Headmaster's office for a last Order meeting before the beginning of the new semester.
Dumbledore sat back in his armchair behind his desk with a sigh. "Endora, you have to be understanding."
"I believe I've been understanding enough until now," Wilson argued. "I'll go mad if I spend the rest of my days stuck here."
"Perhaps you'd rather get killed by one of the Dark Lord's minions, then?" Snape suggested sarcastically.
"Severus is right, Endora," Lupin backed him up. "Voldemort will soon learn you're still alive one way or the other, and the only way to keep you safe is for you to remain here."
Wilson stopped pacing and sat back in her chair. "Not even Hogsmeade?" she asked hopefully.
"You know it's impossible," McGonagall countered. "Hogwarts is the safest place to stay, and it will allow you to keep teaching."
Wilson sighed. "Well, I suppose it's all right as long as I can still floo my friends." Her face fell when her eyes met the Headmaster's. "I can still use the floo network, right?"
Dumbledore slightly shook his head. "I'm afraid the floo network is an open door on the outside. It's too dangerous."
Wilson looked too discontented to comment.
"It's only temporary, Endora," Dumbledore observed, "until Voldemort is vanquished."
"And that is going to happen so soon…" Wilson remarked bitterly.
"There are people who never leave Hogwarts and who fare rather well, you know," Dumbledore told her.
"Who?" she asked doubtfully.
"Sybill Trelawney."
Snape stifled a snort. Oh yes, that was definitely a great example to give her.
"Can't you give me another example?" Wilson pleaded.
"Endora, I'm afraid you don't have much choice," Dumbledore continued. "You will have to remain at Hogwarts. We can't afford to endanger your life every time you leave the school grounds."
Wilson eventually nodded reluctantly. "All right."
"Good. The matter is settled then," Dumbledore concluded. "Good night, everyone."
They soon all left the Headmaster's office. Snape had started back when he saw Ursaglow standing in the hallway. He wasn't waiting for him, was he? Snape wondered as his hand flew to his wand pocket.
No, he wasn't, Snape realised with relief. The young wizard was waiting for Wilson, a single flower in his hand.
"It's to wish you a speedy recovery," Ursaglow stated as he handed the flower to her.
"Oh. Thank you, it's a… er… very kind attention," she said uneasily while taking the flower, "even if I already recovered."
Next to her, Lupin was hardly refraining from laughter, probably - at least in part - because the flower was an orchid. Symbol of mature charm and more often than not used in ageing potions, as the werewolf and his sister probably knew just like Snape did - it was part of the Herbology and Potions curriculum, after all. Granted, Wilson was almost ten years older than Ursaglow, but still… A very delicate attention indeed…
Snape smirked as he walked past them - if Wilson had become the object of Ursaglow's affection she was almost worth pitying.
While heading back towards the dungeons, Snape saw students entering the castle, back from their holidays. He cast them a scornful look - holidays were never long enough.
The usual routine quickly settled again. Dispensing Potions lessons, taking House points and handing detentions whenever required - or not - correcting essays - why did he give them so much homework exactly? - and dedicating the little spare time he had left to work on his personal project.
Before he realised it, three weeks had flown by and January was coming to an end. Ursaglow had become oddly discreet and showed up only once a week at Snape's door - which was still too much but a definite improvement. The young wizard was probably too busy undertaking what Snape suspected to be attempts at wooing Wilson to pay him as many visits as before.
Snape had witnessed one of Ursaglow's attempts once and had found much entertainment in watching a very embarrassed Wilson sending him packing as politely as she could.
One evening in late January Snape found himself in his office and at his desk, glaring at an enormous looking pile of essays. It was as if every time he looked at it, it had grown in height instead of decreasing. He wondered if someone could have charmed the pieces of parchment to multiply on their own.
He looked away for a second and when he looked back at the pile of essays, it was still just as high. Maybe he could pretend just this once that his pet dragon had burned the essays…
Resigned, he picked up his quill and undertook for the umpteenth time this year the correction of a set of essays with the conviction it was his punishment for eternity for all his sins.
Someone knocked at the door.
And if he kept being interrupted there was no way he could be done with this any time soon, he thought angrily.
"Come in," Snape said reluctantly, and saw Wilson opening the door and walking in. "What do you want?" he asked rudely as he put his quill in the inkpot.
She walked to his desk sheepishly. "I need a favour," Wilson eventually said with embarrassment.
"A favour?" Snape repeated as he leant back in his armchair. "What kind of favour?"
She was hesitant. "I need some strong sleeping potion."
Snape stared at her for a couple of seconds before picking up his quill again. "I am no Medi-wizard," he said as he bent over the essay. "Go to the Hospital Wing and see Madam Pomfrey."
"I already did," Wilson objected. "Madam Pomfrey is the one who sent me here to ask for a stronger potion."
Snape briefly looked up. She did look very tired indeed. He put his quill back in the inkpot again and crossed his fingers, a growing smirk on his lips. So she was asking him a favour? Was he going to savour this moment…
"So, what seems to be the problem?" he enquired. "Do you hate being stuck here so much that it gives you nightmares?" he sniggered.
"No," she retorted sharply. "Now about this potion – "
"Or is it because of Ursaglow's recent interest in you?" he went on as he stood up and walked toward a storing shelf. "One would lose sleep at much less than that."
Snape could almost feel Wilson glaring at his back.
"I honestly don't give a damn about him," she snapped while he came back, a flask in his hand.
He paused in front of her and Wilson stared at his hand. He began to hand the flask to her, but as she made to take it he withdrew his arm.
"Oh, no, my apologies…" he continued. "It must be some kind of trauma due to what happened to you several weeks ago," he said in a silky voice.
Wilson briefly looked up to him as she tensed perceptibly before staring at the flask in his hand again. He pretended to give it to her but took it back at the last moment once more. He wasn't going to give it up without having some fun first.
"I thought I warned you not to feel too special about it."
She flinched at his words, but she remained silent, and her eyes never left the potion.
"But no, you had to make yourself the centre of the world…"
"I would hate to have to hex you to get this potion," she spoke at last between gritted teeth.
"Actually I think you would enjoy it very much." He paused for a second, savouring the sight of Wilson looking uneasy. "It must be unbearable for you not to be able to contact you friends so they can pity you…"
Wilson clenched her fists.
"Always in need of support and approbation from the others," Snape went on. "I can't really blame you for that; it runs in the family after all."
Wilson looked up at him with hatred. She was breathing heavily, as if trying to control her emotions.
"But you're obviously unable to see in perspective what you imagine to be the drama of your life - there should be nothing to fuss about."
The witch now looked downright furious and boiling with anger.
"How dare you judge me," she hissed. "You least of all should be allowed to judge anyone," she continued more adamantly, losing her temper by the second. "But I can't really blame you for this, after all you're no more than an insensitive and self-centred git whose only social activity is to belittle the people around him and who wallows in both unhealthy solitude and negative environment!" She snatched the potion from him. "Thank you!" she almost yelled.
Snape was taken aback for a second while Wilson stormed out of his office. She had just insulted him, hadn't she?
Boiling with rage, he strode towards his door. He prepared to snarl something very nasty at her as she probably climbed up the stairs, but instead he found her standing still, further down the dungeons corridor, her back to him.
He opened his mouth to shout something extremely unpleasant, but didn't as he saw her do a gesture he could easily identify even from behind: she first sniffed and then wiped each of her eyes with her free hand.
She was crying, he realised. Maybe he had gone a bit too far this time.
It wasn't so much the fact that she was crying that prevented him from provoking her again, but more the fact that he didn't consider her as someone weak who cracked up or cried easily. It had taken even the Dark Lord great efforts to manage this feat.
Just as Snape considered walking back in his office, he saw Ursaglow coming down the stairs.
"Endora!" the young wizard called. "Did you come here to see Professor Snape too?"
Damn, this man really was a hopeless case.
"Are you all right?" Ursaglow asked the witch.
"I'm fine," she answered in a weak voice. Before Ursaglow could add anything she went on. "I'd like to be left alone, Mizar. Please."
The DADA teacher hesitated for a second before answering, "All right."
Snape would have to remember to ask her how she managed to do that - as soon as she didn't want him dead any longer.
Ursaglow soon turned away from Wilson and froze, a look of curiosity on his face, when he saw Snape on the doorstep. Snape immediately stepped back and closed the door.
Thankfully, Ursaglow didn't pay him a visit like he had intended, so Snape was able to advance his essay correction significantly. But he hadn't expected someone else would pay him a visit.
His door was suddenly thrust open an hour later. Lupin stormed in and planted himself in front of him, looking downright furious.
"What did you tell her?" the werewolf demanded angrily.
"And a good day to you too, Lupin," Snape replied ironically. "By the way, what are you doing at Hogwarts? I thought you had been allowed to stay for the holidays only; weren't you able to find the way out?"
"What did you tell her?" Lupin asked again, articulating each word slowly.
Snape sighed with irritation. "What did I tell to whom?" he enquired even though he suspected the answer.
"To Endora."
He smirked. "Oh, so she went to whine to her big brother because evil Professor Snape told her nasty things?"
"No she didn't," Lupin retorted coldly. "Actually Dumbledore asked me to come, for he was worried about her health. Apparently she has barely managed to sleep since the end of Christmas break."
Since Christmas break? Snape wondered. It was quite a while…
"When she explained to me what was wrong," Lupin went on, "she mentioned in passing that it originally came from something you said several weeks ago."
Several weeks ago… So it wasn't because of something he had said today? Snape was at a total loss. He remained silent as Lupin continued his rant.
"Listen, I don't know what you told her exactly, but I would advise you to stop playing with her nerves," the werewolf warned. "The murder of her family is enough of a painful memory without you suggesting they might have been tortured." He paused. "Make another devious comment about that and I'll do my best to come visit you during the next full moon."
"Ah, down to threats… So Gryffindor of you, Remus," Snape teased.
Lupin glared at him one last time and left, while Snape was still wondering what he had told his sister exactly. He surely hadn't said anything about her family. Or perhaps…
He had told her torture was a common practice among Death Eaters. And her family had been killed by a Death Eater… This was what had been tormenting her all these weeks, he concluded.
When he had said that, he hadn't expected her to make a connection with the loss of her family… Honestly, getting all frantic just because of one innocent comment - well, innocent as far as his comments went. He had told her much worse than that dozens of times, and she hadn't reacted half that badly…
No matter how much he tried to put the blame on her, he was feeling… yes, guilty. A rare feat; she could be proud of herself, he thought almost angrily.
His fingers drummed nervously on his desk, until his eyes surreptitiously fell on his bookshelf as if on purpose. He made his decision in one second - if he gave it more thought he knew he would change his mind.
The next morning, Snape entered the teachers lounge, carrying the book 'Combining Different Kinds of Magic: Great Possibilities but Terrible Dangers' under his arm, and put it down noisily on the table Wilson was sitting at, discussing with Professor Vector.
"I want it back in one week at the very latest," he stated coldly.
Wilson stared alternately at him and the book with puzzlement. Snape turned on his heels and left with no further explanation.
Coming Next: A New Surprise